Great Dane now on the attack - please can we do something? *Distressing content warning*

I used to think they were ok but now I feel the same way as you.

it's come to a point where I think that keeping any dog on leads in puplic places should be mandatory. and that dogs should not be within 500m of a play area in a park.

I have a lot of sympathy with this feeling and I do think that there should be stricter controls on dogs

But my problem is that the law above won't actually stop most of the dog attacks that we hear about.
Because most of them happen in a home, or in this case a shop. Where the dog would not be muzzled / on a lead because it is his home.

We do need to get past this silly idea of dogs being like babies, and start treating them like dogs again. I suggest as a start that any dog that has shown aggression to human or other dog be put to sleep.

The problem with that is what is meant by aggression? Barking? growling? Or wait til it bites? And I say that as the owner of a large dog who, when we got him, barked madly at other dogs.

I would love to see more breeds banned.
I would love to see a ban on owning a dog over a certain size unless you have a house/garden of a certain size.
I would love to see all overseas rescues banned.
I would love to see dog walkers lisenced, insured and with a limit on how many dogs they can walk at one time.
and I would love to see dog safety taught in school, I am tired of people with small children walking up to my dog (mostly my old one, who to be fair was a soppy old spaniel) and me having to step in front and say - you should never go up to a dog you don't know without asking. Only to hear their parent go - Oh he's fine, he loves dogs as their 3 year old's face approaches at muzzle/bite height to my dog, who could be agressive.)

But then to go with any of that you need enforcement. And that costs millions. How shall we pay for it?

One thing that I think would work is a concerted advertising campaign. Loads of TV/youtibe ads with simple messages.

It’s not weird at all.

Humans, as you can see from this thread are entitled. Yes hopefully we will become extinct because we are so hostile.

😂

...dogs should not be within 500m of a play area in a park.

I live next to a huge public park which my service dog and I "walk" (I am disabled and use a scooter) in twice a day. There are three large play areas. There are no dogs allowed in the play areas. This is something that the dog walkers respect and abide by. Want to know who doesn't? No it isn't even the idiots with their bully dogs. It's the parents! Every time you see a dog in there, it is with parents of the children playing there. And it happens a lot. Apparently if you have a child, the no dogs rule doesn't apply. Recently a new group of parents have added their behaviour to the mix. They have a small dog (a Yorkie), in the play area, and EVERY TIME I pass with my service dog the dog comes running after us, barking aggressively and trying to bite my dog. That is unlawful behaviour on their part. And what do they do, they carry on playing with the kids whilst futilely screaming "Toby" and the f...ing little b....d dog! If my dog wasn't well trained, he'd have bloody eaten the dog by now, and seriously, I am tempted to train him to do it.

It is not dogs that are the problem. It is people.

What utter bollocks.

Do what exactly? GDs aren't exactly known as a biting breed.... so no point banning them.

I'm sure the individual dog has been killed.

It was a pet shop so dogs should be allowed in.

... it's a pet shop

I agree but a thread on mumsnet will change nothing.
What can we actually do to make this change real rather than just discussing it online? Start a petition?

It was a pet shop so dogs should be allowed in.

Why? The dog's not buying!

To try on equipment like collars, harnesses and coats and make sure they fit correctly?

My daughter got bitten by the landlords dog in a pub when she was two. It was a Jack Russell and was under our table. It was a really deep bite in her arm. She’s 32 now and the scar has grown with her so looks like a huge dog bit her. The police were informed and went to the pub but the dog had disappeared 🙄. No matter how big or small the dog they shouldn’t be allowed to roam free in the bar. Even the loveliest dog can turn if they’re stepped on or scared or something.

The problem is the measures suggested don't work

These threads always end up with 3 things suggested

1. dog licences- this is in an area with dog licences

2. banning certain breeds- this isn't one of the breeds commonly named

3. ban dogs from the public. This was in a pet shop where presumably dogs will always be allowed to go. Most dog bites happen in homes, it would be like trying to prevent domestic violence by not allowing men to leave the house. Yes it would eliminate some public incidences but thats not where the majority of incidences are any way, and it would make homes more risky

No matter how big or small the dog they shouldn’t be allowed to roam free in the bar

I hate dogs roaming free in pubs. Often there are dogs chilling out on leads under tables and it isn't fair on them to be pestered. I don't want dogs that we don't know approaching DD either. We are a dog loving family but I'm not ok with that.

Our local does really lovely food but they also have a pub dog that begs. Luckily he doesn't slobber. I have been in one pub where the free roaming but dog begged and was slobbery, and I said something to the owner of the pub.

My own dog doesn't beg stood 2 inches from us and I don't want to have a dog doing this when I've paid for a meal out.

Maybe a solution could be making it harder to own a dog.
So, stricter rules on breeding. Dog license. Dog free town centres. Off lead walking only in designated areas, etc etc. this would all make owning a dog less attractive.

Fair enough! (Spot the non-dog owner 🙋🏻‍♀️😆)

Remove their teeth.

I know so many people with nice natured BUT incredibly badly trained dogs.
Jumping up, barking, no recall whatsoever.

Many of these same people seem to believe that the onus is on others to do whats needed to facilitate their dogs behaviour. But its not up to passers by to (eg) stand still with arms at their sides if they dont want to interact with a random dog, its up to the owner to call their dog away and not allow it to approach random strangers.

Yep. I love dogs and think some of the posts on here are irrational to the point of mania.

I’ve got nothing against dogs. I have nothing against any animals. I think it’s lovely for people to keep pets if that’s what they want, and they’ve got the wherewithal to care for them properly. But the explosion in dog ownership since lockdown means that dogs are now everywhere, and owned by idiots, and we are expected to somehow accept the inherent risk that they pose. And anyone who objects to that is told it’s their fault for not educating their children!

There were people that couldn't wear a mask for 5 mins to walk in a shop. You can't see how a muzzle could be distressing to a rescue dog with a history of abuse? What would be the point in muzzling a dog that can't even bite through a sausage? Where is the sense in that? Surely people can just get over their irrational fear of all dogs, a few treats, and some positive reinforcement they'll be good to go.

it should be much harder to own a dog, if it were so I think things would likely shift such that only those who were responsible would jump through the extra hoops.
This would also reduce the numbers of dogs and that would hurt the profits of the pet industry who will lobby hard against any such measures.
One reason we are so Laissez-faire is that there is money to be made out of dog owners.

Well I rescued my dog had home check, vet reference and everyone in the household had to be met. They didn't exactly throw a dog my way. People who want a dog for nefarious reason's or who are likely to be irresponsible owners aren't going to jump through hoops. It will push backyard breeders further underground, there will be more interbreeding of dogs from questionable backgrounds with no thought given to their welfare available at great cost to anybody who wants a dog without any of the hassle.

Fair enough! I didn’t know that.

I’ll have a dig around the English hospital episode stats and DHNI’s hospital activity stats and see what the difference is for dog bites admissions (per capita). Will be interesting to see if there is any.

This 👆

Especially the second part. I am a dog owner, but they shouldn't be allowed everywhere. There have been other threads on this topic, the real solution is heavier punishments for the owners and the breeders.